Equator Art Projects presents, in collaboration with Langgeng Art Foundation, Dangling Durians, the latest solo project by Bandung-based artist Wiyoga Muhardanto (Jakarta, Indonesia, 1984), which is curated by Roy Voragen. Wiyoga, an ITB alumnus, is a prolific artist who has participated in biennales, art fairs, group shows and residency programs in Indonesia and abroad.

The artist shows his latest sculptures as a loosely constellated installation in the subterranean area of Langgeng Art Foundation, as part of Equator Art Projects, yet not in the actual gallery. For Dangling Durians, spaces have been switched: the locked-down gallery remains eerily empty for the duration of the show, instead the non-exhibition space in front of the basement gallery is utilized, not in criticism of the white cube but to tease urban questions to the foreground by means of a subterranean detour.

The contemporary is urban, and our built environment mediates, constructs, reproduces and, intersected at certain times, contradicts relationships of power. Our embodied relationship to objects always assumes a spatial setting and space is never neutral, always coded by (conflicting) normativities. The sculptures are the miscellaneous fragments, the discarded shreds, the hacked bits and pieces lifted out of our urban fabric.

With flair and wit, Wiyoga created seven new sculptures and each combines unlikely, even contradictory, elements, which is further amplified by grouping these sculptures together as an installation. Each feature, whether as a ready-made or remade by using resin, is one of our many urban fetishes, obsessions, fears, guilty pleasures, anxieties, joys, etc…

We cordially invite you to opening of solo exhibition by emerging artist, Valasara, represented by Art:1 themed "Paintings". Valasara is a Balinese artist whose discussion brought together a discourse of traditional paintings generally tagged as "balinese paintings" and what it means to be a contemporary artist breaking through the old boundaries. What happens to painting if all traditional values of painting are lost? See this non-narrative, colorless subjects in his paintings come to live in a play of textures and light. Bring your friends and dont miss this exciting event in Art:1

Valasara works in this exhibition is still strongly associated with all things acquired in Transit residency program. Instead of displaying the paintings in the conventional sense, this exhibition should be seen as a project that questioned the practice of painting as 'ideological'. The works in this exhibition is using canvas, but not as a neutral medium. Canvas placed as a material that is 'symbolic', because it brings with it the history of painting and its dominance in the practice of making art for centuries. The usual historical narratives offered by the Renaissance, complete and intact is absent in this exhibition. But the canvas material and iconography can still reminds us of the history of the canon of Western art, and more specifically: painting. Here icons of art history robbed of their place of origin, and transformed into something else. The situation offered by this exhibition reminds me of the process of moving-a 'migration' or mutation-symbols of culture, in the context of today's internet society, so massive, rizomatik, without a reference and a clear pattern. These days we see religious symbols, for example, borrowed, reproduced and modified in such a way that the aura faded in simulacra universe. Perhaps, this idea of hidden layers in this projects, this exhibition 'imitating' paintings desecrated it for purity and the 'purity' status.

After going through 4 (four) art awardings to young artists through the Bandung Contemporary Art Awards (BaCAA), from 2011 to 2015, Artsociates remains commited to support the development of art creation in Indonesian contemporary art, by showing appreciation towards the works of active young artists. As part of its, this time BaCAA#4 is holding a small discussion about art creation and the position of Art Awards in the Indonesian Art World.

This discussion will be divided into 2 (two) sessions, where the first session will invite representatives of the artists who won BaCAA #1 - #4 to share their art creation processes since winning the awards until today, from mediums used, concepts to exhibitions, art activities or residences they have achieved. Has BaCAA empowered development of their work?

The second session will discuss Art Awards in the Indonesian Art World, where since the Japanese occupation era to today, art events that have awards have basically never changed, other than the scale of the prizes, and the variety of mediums used. Lately, the energy of art awards are more focused towards young artists, where many of them have yet to gain experience in the art world. How to we critically define art awards in the contemporary art scene? What is its significance in supporting the careers of artists? And how do awards reflect a certain aesthetic taste?

The end of this discussion will cover the details of art awards seen from history and the art world, and how BaCAA will position itself in the future.

Within the framework of the "German season", the world acclaimed Berlin director trio "Rimini Protocol", will be performing in collaboration with the Indonesian theatrical group "Teater Garasi" and together with a hundred carefully selected representative citizens, a piece called "100% Yogyakarta".

The format includes "ordinary citizens" of the city of Yogyakarta from the beginning as lay actors in the process of making theater. It reflects the citizens of Yogyakarta city by their numbers and statistics and invites you to reflect on the everyday realities and to scrutinize.

As in other productions of "Rimini Protokoll" those experts of everyday life were determined together with Teater Garasi in a large-scale casting process, which describe on stage their personal perspective on their city. This unique concept has already been done in other cities such as Berlin, Vienna, Zurich, London, Tokyo and Melbourne.

Helgard Haug, Stefan Kaegi and Daniel Wetzel formed a writers-director team since 2000. Their work in the field of theater, radio plays, film and installation came in form of two and three constellations and as well as in solos. Since 2002, all of their works under the label "Rimini Protokoll" were summarized and announced. The focus of their work is the development of the means of the theater to allow unusual perspectives on our reality.

Join our artist talk on 25 October 2015, where the team will share their experiences in the creative working process, on selecting the Yogyakarta citizen, and how they manage the selected citizen in one stage.

This program is the third event of German Season/Encounters – a series of discussions presented at Cemeti Art House.

"100% Yogyakarta" will be shown at Concert Hall, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta on 31st October and 1st November 2015 at 7.30 pm. Ticket (FREE) can be reserved through 082136064601 (Lusi) or info@teatergarasi.org

At the initiative of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the German Season will be held for three months in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Indonesien, the German Embassy in Jakarta and the German-Indonesian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (EKONID) in major cities all over Indonesia.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Ciptadana is pleased to announce the 2015 Ciptadana Art Program - You are cordially invited to join us for cocktails and the launch of our exhibition on Tuesday, October 20 from 6.30 - 9 pm at Pacific Place Mall - Jl Jend Sudirman Jakarta Selatan.

The contemporary calligraphy scene cannot be discussed without Agus 'Baqul' Purnomo's presence. The artist, born in 1975, has been incessantly exploring the calligraphy and has been intensely participate in exhibition throughout big cities in Asia, such as: Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Dubai, Tokyo, Manila, Seoul, Beijing, Taiwan, Jakarta, Bandung, Bali, Magelang, and of course Yogyakarta; he is even starting to expand to Liverpool, Athens, and California. Snippets of his long resume could be observed through the Transit exhibition which displays selected works from 2005 to 2015. Besides that, this solo exhibition that implies Baqul's excitement in creating artworks is able to predict his future works. In other words, he had a long journey and will be heading to an even longer one.

Presenting his works from 2005 – 2015, Agus 'Baqul' Purnomo invites audience to walk his path, in his shoes, see with his eyes and think with his head, and re-consider his exploration in depth. As in a journey , Baqul is now on the road, pondering upon what has he passed, undergoing the journey, and move forward towards his destination.

This exhibition is a co-production between Jogja Contemporary and Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta. The Exhibition will runs through 3 November 2015.